A true anathema to Leica purists, the Leitz-Minolta CL was made in Japan by Minolta and therefore looked down upon as not a real Leica. Although it was made to Leica specifications and you can mount Leica lenses to it, it is not made to the same precision quality standards that you find in other M bodies. Yet of all the Leica cameras I have gone through, this is the only one that I still own and use. True it is not the same build quality as other M bodies, but that does not mean it is not a well-built camera. It has many excellent qualities: nice clear rangefinder window with a strong rangefinder patch for accurate focusing; shutter speeds up to 1/1000 and which are visible in the finder window; quiet shutter with a smooth release; and best of all the Leica CL is the smallest lightest Leica body. I can fit the CL into a small Billingham Digital bag with still enough room to hold another mirrorless or small film SLR camera. The other big advantage is that it has 40mm framelines for those 40mm focal length fans like myself. I find 40mm the perfect focal length for an everyday walking around camera, not as narrow as a 50mm and not too wide like a 35mm. However, you can also easily use both 50mm and 35mm lenses on the CL. The 50mm frame lines are perfect for glasses wearers like myself because they are inset from the 40mm framelines and easier for me to see than the 50mm framelines in a M3. There are no 35mm framelines if you mount a 35mm lens, but you can use the outside edge of the 40mm framelines to fairly accurately estimate the 35mm frame.

The downsides of the CL are that they typically have meters that are broken or unreliable. Mine does not work at all, but this is a blessing rather than a weakness for me. If it is not a modern matrix type meter then I much prefer using Sunny 16 or a handheld meter for optimal exposures. There is also a compatibility issue with some wide angle lenses that cannot be mounted, but again not a problem for me as I am only interested in 35/40/50mm. The only real downside for me is vertical strap mounting because I like to use a wrist strap. I solved this problem by getting a Zhou leather half case and then attaching a wrist strap to it. The Zhou also makes it easier to grip and hold the CL, a perfect solution to enhance an already great all-round camera. Purchase Leica CL here.